Pancocojams showcases the music, dances, and customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

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Friday, April 10, 2015

African American Examples Of Walk Arounds - Ring Shouts And Other Religious Expressions

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on African American examples of historical and contemporary walk around (circle) movements.

Part II features five examples of religious walkaround movements - videos of religious ring shouts and other religious expressions.

This examples included in this post aren't meant to represent all examples of African American religious walk around movements.

The comments in the beginning of the essay that is showcased in Part I provide some background to these walk around examples.

Part I showcases Andrew Antonio Allen's essay about African American walk around dances and other movements including the Chicago style walk. This essay was written for the "Personal Recollections: The History Of Stepping Project. ("Chicago Stepping" is also known as "Chicago Bop" dance styles.) Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/reflections-on-history-meanings-of.html for that post.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, cultural, religious, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on their posting dates on YouTube, with the exception of the ring shout examples which are presented first.

Example #1: Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters perform.MP4

hoshidas47, Uploaded on Jul 23, 2011
-snip-
The ring shout begins at 2:19 in that video. The religious song is "Give Me Two Wings".

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Example #2: Weeksville Heritage Center

Mireille Liong, Published on Jul 7, 2012

RUN MARY RUN: Jubilee Curator and choreographer Rashida Bumbray's newest installment of her dance work, RUN MARY RUN : Jubilee, considers the harmonic ideas and tonal vocabulary of the McIntosh County Shouters. Creating an active ritual for the ceremony of the ring shout, Bumbray and the performers take us on a ride through the cosmologies of the Low Country, Geechie Sea Islands, Tennessee Blues, P Funk, and Hip Hop. This iteration of Run Mary Run is developed in collaboration with Dance Diaspora Collective and special guest master dancer, Adenike Sharpley, Professor, Oberlin College.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Azaka86, 2012
"I have to say as a member of The McIntosh County Shouters. This is by far the greatest reinactment of the ring shout in a ceremonal fashion I have ever seen. Growing up and watchin the ring shout as a child the elder never took the shout to the point it was taken in this clip, because of the rules of "church" against dancing but to see that you guy held true to the shuffling of the feet while making the circle truly make me proud. The only thing that was missing was the beating of the stick. :)"

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Azaka86, 2012
[in response to the video publisher's thanks]
"You are most welcome and in shuffing your feet you must be in beat with the music. very awesome job just slow down allow yourselves to become one with the music and the song. That is when you really know you are shouting and not just going around in a circle. And whoever lead the song beautiful voice"

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Roz Harden, 2015
"Ring Shout in in best form. I love this song "You Got A Right" "

Many of the slaves in the Gullah Geechee belt were taken from the Futa Tooro region of southern Mauritania. Futa Tooro was destroyed when occupied by the french and it became Mauritania. The people there still do the same dance.
-snip-
The name of this video is "fulbe Mauritania"

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Example #3: Crystal's run,shout praise

terence hobbs. Uploaded on Jul 10, 2009

Lord i'm running,trying to make 100, 99 1/2 won't do!!!
-snip-
Selected comment:
Blckberi, 2014
"You better run and praise Him! All of you who find this wrong should just shut right on up. If David danced and tore his clothes off while praising God, who are we to tell anyone else how to praise the Lord. Run, dance, clap, sing, cry, snap your fingers, leap, fall out, it doesn't matter. God wants all of our praise. Stop judging how someone expresses their love and appreciation for who God is in their life. Well if you ever come to my church, you better praise or move out of the way and give us room to do it."

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Example #4: MCHCA Ushers & Nurses Grand March

Mount Calvary Holy Church Inc, Uploaded on Aug 19, 2009

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Example #5: Ushers Day Celebration...and they Marched for Jesus

Uploaded by GodsBlessingU on May 3, 2010

Anointed One Ministries Ushers Day Celebration ... as the Ushers Strutted during offering. Services were held at Bethel AME Church in Cambridge, MD

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About Me

I'm an African American mother, grandmother, & retired human services administrator. For more than forty years I have shared adapted West African stories with audiences in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.
I have four blogspots: pancocojams, zumalayah, cocojams2, and .Civil Rights Songs. Much of the content of these blogs were previously found on my cocojams and jambalayah cultural websites. I curate all of these blogs on a voluntary basis.
Each of these blogs have the primary goal of raising awareness about cultural aspects of African American culture and of other Black cultures throughout the world, particularly in regards to music & dance traditions.
Viewer comments are welcome on my blogspots.